Heather Locklear Calls Ex David Spade 'One of My Favorite People': 'I Love Him So Much'

Heather Locklear still has a lot of love for her ex David Spade.

On Friday, Dec. 6, the actress, 63, made a rare appearance at Steel City Con in Monroeville, Pa., where she participated in a Q&A session. The Melrose Place alum opened up about her career and her fondness for Spade, 60, whom she briefly dated in 2006.

After reflecting on the experience of hosting a 1994 Saturday Night Live episode, where she first met Spade — who was a writer for the show at the time — Locklear told the audience, "He is one of my favorite people. I love him so much."

"His birthday was the same birthday as my dad," she continued, jokingly recalling her reaction to their first kiss. "And so I don’t know what we were doing, but he kissed me and I go, 'Oh my God, you even kiss like my dad!' "

Locklear went on to guest-star on Spade's sitcom Rules of Engagement in 2007, and the pair remain friends to this day.

Related: Heather Locklear Makes Rare Appearance at First Event in Nearly 3 Years Alongside Melrose Place Castmates

In addition to Locklear, other celebrities attending the weekend-long fan event — which features a series of panels, Q&A sessions and photo ops — include Josh Gad, Joe Manganiello, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cole Sprouse, Danny Glover and Soleil Moon Frye.

Locklear's Steel City Con appearance comes just months after the actress attended her first public event in nearly three years, joining some of her Melrose Place castmates for a panel discussion at 90s Con Florida in Daytona Beach on Sept. 14. The group — who included Josie Bissett, Brooke Langton, Laura Leighton, Grant Show and Daphne Zuniga — addressed the revival series which is in development.

"Everyone has agreed to do it," Zuniga, 62, said at the time. "Laura and I worked on this for a little bit now," she said. "It is in talks. Business affairs and lawyers and all those types are talking about it, and they do want to do it."

Added Leighton, 56, "The stars need to align, but we want it as much as the fans want it."

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Locklear also participated in a solo panel at the convention, opening up about her love for tackling more rebellious characters — Melrose Place's Amanda Woodward, among them — in her acting work. "It's more fun to play it not straight," she told the audience. "When you're a bitch, you don't go around thinking you're a bitch — you just think you're right."

Related: Heather Locklear Kept 'Everything' from Her 'Melrose Place' Wardrobe — Guess Who's Wearing It Now?

Locklear recently returned to the small screen for the first time since 2021 in the Lifetime movie Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story, which premiered on Oct. 28. In the true-crime story, she portrayed Jodi Hildebrandt, the Utah marriage counselor who was charged with child abuse alongside controversial family vlogger Ruby Franke.

Outside of her career, Locklear celebrated a happy occasion as a mom earlier this year — her daughter Ava Sambora's engagement. Just days before Valentine's Day, Ava, 27 — whom Locklear shares with ex Richie Sambora — announced on Instagram that she said "yes" to longtime boyfriend Tyler Farrar.

Ava's proud mom commented on the post, “My two favorite people💗."

The couple later celebrated their engagement at a party surrounded by their family and close friends. "It was a beautiful day spent celebrating with family and loved ones," a source told PEOPLE at the time.

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